John J. Cullinane John J. Cullinane is president of The Cullinane Group, Inc., and was founder of Cullinet Software, Inc., one of the first companies to specialize in computer software products, have a public offering, and be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. As a result, Mr. Cullinane was named three times as The Wall Street Transcript's CEO of the Year in the computer software products industry.
Following the sale of Cullinet Software, Inc., Cullinane became a Fellow in the Center for Business and Government, John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he authored a paper on the short term focus of American corporations entitled, Widows and Orphans.
Cullinane has worked extensively with the Irish software industry during the past nine years, and has promoted peace through jobs and economic development in Northern Ireland. In October 1997, he was named Special Economic Advisor for Belfast in North America, on a pro bono basis. He then created the Friends of Belfast in North America, an informal network of people from the United States and Canada whose "social capital" could be of value in creating jobs and economic development, thus providing the key to peace in Belfast and Northern Ireland. Cullinane participated in the creation of the Conference on Technology Investment and Partnering Opportunities from Israel, Ireland and Northern Ireland sponsored in conjunction with the University of Massachusetts and the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Most recently, he was appointed to the Board of Directors of the new air traffic organization which will be responsible for America's air traffic control system as a component of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Cullinane graduated from Northeastern University and its Alumni Association presented him with the Northeastern University Outstanding Alumni Award for Business and Industry. Cullinane also received honorary degrees from Northeastern University, University of Massachusetts - Boston, University of Lowell, and Suffolk University. Although Cullinane is a native of Arlington Massachusetts, his parents were from Dunmore East, County Waterford, Republic of Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1929. Other involvements and honors include:
- Organized and chaired a series of seminars sponsored by Harvard University for CEO's, including "The Credit Crunch" and "Winning the Global Telecommunications Race," hosted by Governor William Weld and Congressman Edward Markey.
- Participated in the 1992 Irish Times debate held at Trinity College on its 400th Anniversary as a representative of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
- Chaired the New England Business Executives for Clinton/Gore.
- Co-chaired Governor Weld's Trade Mission to Ireland and Northern Ireland.
- Participated in Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's 1998 Ireland-America Economic Advisory Board mission to Ireland.
- Past chairman of the board of directors of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
- Founding chairman of the Massachusetts Software and Internet Council.
- Founding chairman of the Boston Public Library Foundation.
- Honored at the Fifty-Seventh Annual Awards Dinner of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
- Honored by the Irish Immigration Center in recognition of his efforts to further economic development in Ireland and his commitment to a lasting peace there.
- Honored as Irishman of the Year by the Friends of the John F. Kennedy Library.
- Inducted into the Babson College Academy of Distinguished Entrepreneurs.
- Inducted into INFOMART's Information Processing Hall of Fame.
- Inducted, with his wife, Diddy Cullinane, by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce into the Academy of Distinguished Bostonians.
To learn more about Mr. Cullinane, visit: http://www.cullinane-group.com/.
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